The invention relates to a device and a method for reading and/or writing data from and/or to a multiplicity of RFID chips arranged in smart labels within a smart label production device, according to the preambles of claims 1 and 10, wherein the smart labels are applied next to and behind one another on a common continuous film-like strip.
In smart label production devices, several thousand smart labels are produced continuously every hour. Such smart labels usually consist of an antenna and an associated RFID (radio frequency identification) chip, and are arranged both behind one another and next to one another at small spacings on a common web which is a continuous strip of a plastic film, a paper or the like.
In order to initialise such RFID chips which are arranged in the smart labels, together with writing to and reading from the RFID chips an individual ID number and also further data, it is necessary for the unambiguous allocation of the ID (identification) number to a specific smart label to write to and read from a selected smart label independently of the adjacent smart labels and without influencing the latter. This usually takes place by means of high-frequency wave transmission from an antenna arranged in the device to the antenna of the smart label.
Furthermore, targeted selection of a specific smart label without any influencing by adjacent smart labels is also necessary in order to subsequently carry out a functional test of the smart label. To date, this has required the individual actuation of individual smart labels by means of the antenna which transmits write and/or read data and also an associated write and/or read element, which, due to the long initialisation times of several seconds per smart label which represents one programming operation, results in a reduction in throughput of the production installation as a whole, since more smart labels can be produced than can subsequently be initialised and tested.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a device for reading and/or writing data from and/or to a multiplicity of RFID chips arranged in smart labels within a smart label production device, which reduces or prevents any reduction in the maximum possible throughput of the device as a whole caused by the necessary initialisation and testing operation and the associated (communication) times, said maximum possible throughput being defined by the production steps of the production device.